Devil May Cry: Mission 666
by Maiorem
Summary: Set 7 years after the events of Devil May Cry 4. Second Mission starting. Introducing new enemies, called the Śyena. Detailed battle scenes included. 45 Missions planned. Reviews please.
1. Forgotten Chapters

A painfully short prologue to the main story, in the style of the narrative intro from Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening.

Narrator: Trish

* * *

**Forgotten Chapters**

Many know the story of Sparda, the savior of mankind two millennia ago during the First War with the Prince of Darkness. He is a legend, they say, that symbolizes the struggle between good and evil, and how the good would even attract evil to fight against their own, and ultimately be the victor. Most sources claiming to be firsthand eyewitness accounts of Sparda were never dated later than one-and-a-half millennia ago, nor were there any other records that speak of him after the First War, of which the existence of such a war has been debated to be apocryphal to this day. Many also do not know of the rumors of Sparda and his post-war appearance which have survived through the centuries.

All had thought it was only a myth, a legend, until a man named Dante suddenly appeared and claimed to be the Son of Sparda. Many doubted, but his inhuman strength, endurance and reflexes were proof of his lineage, and thus those who reminisced of the tales of the Legendary Dark Knight went back to the forbidden sections of obscure libraries and studied them all the more for the inevitable…

* * *

For detailed accounts of the Forgotten Chapters, kindly refer to **my other work of the same name**.


	2. Mission 1: Part 1

Just a teaser of what to expect in the near future; rest assured, there will be action, and I will make sure the characters stay in character.

Setting: post-DMC4, about 6-7 years later. Devil May Cry 2 **will** be _ignored_. Nuff said.

Devil May Cry® and all related characters are registered trademark and intellectual property of Capcom Co., Ltd. and is in no way affiliated with the author of this fanfiction. All characters and events that appear in this fanfiction are purely fictional and not considered canonical in the Devil May Cry continuity; any resemblance of character(s) or events is purely coincidental and unintentional.

* * *

"**Devil May Cry**", read the red neon sign outside of a disheveled building, accompanied by an equally red neon outline of a man in a trench coat wielding two guns shooting in two different directions. Standing right outside the building is a man, holding in his right hand a big golden case. He wears a black leather fedora; sleeveless olive green high collar shirt matched with a white scarf; brown leather gloves with black leather strap and silver-buckled bracers; deep maroon strap pants complemented with silver metal link belt; and jet black steel-toed boots. On his back is a long object swathed in black cloth, hiding its contents. The man's facial features are obscured by the shadow of his fedora, his shoulder-length red hair and blackred mirrorshades. Only his black lips are visible in the rays of the evening sun.

He stood still, facing the much-abused wooden door to the entrance of the demon hunting agency. From behind his shades he eyes his surroundings carefully, taking in every detail right down to the trash that is littered on the floor no thanks to stray cats and dogs foraging for food in this urban jungle.

Suddenly, the wind kicked up a notch, and died out almost as immediately as it sped up. The stranger merely kept calm, and stood with the same pose for about a minute, then, as if by instinct, raised up the golden case to block the lunge of a Beast that appeared out of nowhere.

The Beast looked as if it was human, yet the skin of the Beast looked as if it was tattered cloth, with nothing but bones underneath. The face of the Beast took on the appearance of a deformed canine, with only a single eye and severely cleft mouth. Its general color is a dark brown with black splotches, while the single eye is a bright red, and the mouth opens to reveal a jaw full of teeth that is twice the normal amount that might be expected of a shark.

The Beast wasn't satisfied, and soon began another lunge; this time, its face met with the sole of the right boot of the stranger. From afar directly behind the man, a pack of similar-looking monsters came running on all fours to aid their comrade, about six of them. Without looking back, the man simply dropped to his left, while catching the head of his victim with the strap of his pants; without losing momentum, he performed a Crossed-legged Flare with the Beast still at the end of his lower legs, just in time to smash the Beast against all six of the others. He immediately launched into a Windmill, sending his initial victim vertically up; he followed the Beast up and with his left leg performed mid-air axe kick that sent the Beast back downwards, resulting in a huge impact that produced a shockwave which blasted away the rest of the Beasts. He himself landed shortly after in a Hit Man Stance, his right hand still clutching the golden case. After he got up, he took out his black flip phone and pressed speed dial.

* * *

From inside the building of Devils Never Cry, the ancient yet still working rotary dial phone rang. It went on to ring three times before the silver-haired half-demon demon hunter appeared from the back, topless but otherwise fully clothed. He's still busy drying his hair – his childhood crush.

"Hey, Trish, aren't you gonna answer that?"

Trish, the demoness made in Eva's likeness, was simply sitting on the corner of the old office table, which hosted the ringing antique. She's apparently lazing about with a Devil-may-care attitude.

"Nah, you could do it yourself; I'm done with being your receptionist for today."

Dante emerged into the office room – which was also the living room; and the dining room – he tossed his towel to the back in a very casual manner, and then proceeded to glare at Trish.

"Now who was it who used all my hard-earned money to buy that ridiculous "Black King Bar" (with air-quote gestures) which turned out to be nothing more than a cheap hunk of metal?"

"You forgot to mention: 'magic-infused metal'."

"Which also proved to be a total fake in our last mission!"

The phone continued to ring, until Trish gingerly decided that she's gotta pay back her dues one way or another. At about the thirteenth ring, it finally stopped as the handle was being lifted off.

"Devil May Cry," Trish recited, in her strained cheeriness. (While in the background, Dante complains to himself in disbelief: "Sheesh! I don't even know what she really uses that thing for!")

Trish remained silent for a moment, then took a look at Dante, who is now in a bad mood and grumbling because he feels today's weather is too dry for his hair.

"Dante, I think you need to listen to this…"

Trish handed Dante the phone handle, and without hesitation, Dante just put it to his ear.

"…"

Silence.

"Trish, there's no one on the phone."

"Exactly."

"Then why the Hell did you pass me the phone for?"

As soon as his sentence ended, the door opened. The stranger stepped foot into the room, still holding his cell phone in his left hand, while the golden case remains in his right. As soon as he closed his cell phone shut, the dial tone returned to the handle in Dante's possession.

"So you're the prank caller! Look, I am not in a very good mood today, so tell me your business and we'll get right to it; if you wanna do your "business" instead, the wash is in the back."

The stranger let out a grin. He stepped forward and placed the golden case onto Dante's desk. Trish only stared at the case, wondering in her mind how much it could make in the jewelers, and how much it could really make in the black market.

"Good," said the stranger, in a dry voice, "I did choose the right person for the job after all."

"Hold up," interrupted Trish, holding up her hand to cut the stranger short, "password."

"Devils Never Cry."

"He's got it," Trish said to an impatient Dante. She turned her attention to the stranger, "so what's the job? How big is the crowd? We charge by the minute."

"Oh, don't worry; this is only a one-man job, and in my personal opinion, only the best demon hunter can handle something of this magnitude."

Trish was mildly offended by such a remark that shows obvious downplaying of her own skills, but Dante merely brushed her aside and faced the man eagerly.

"Not a problem. Although we still charge full price even with only half the team."

"Money is of no concern. I just need you to send this case to its intended recipient. Courier is negative due to the importance and value of this artifact."

"Is that all? I'm not really into being delivery boy; Trish can handle these little jobs all by herself. She'd be better doing all this rather than lazing around all day." (At the last sentence, Trish threw a paperweight at Dante's face, which he dodged cleanly.)

"I think you'll find this task a bit more challenging than simple delivery,"

The stranger took off his fedora and threw it towards the door, just as a few of the same type of Beasts that appeared earlier crashed into the room. The fedora actually bruised the fiends, and it returned back to its owner like a boomerang.

"Now you're talking!" exclaimed Dante as he grabbed Ebony & Ivory from his table and chucked them into his holsters, and grabbed the sword wedged in between the head of a demon mounted on the wall. "Sweet deal!"

**Mission 1: Deliverance of the Heart**

_Special delivery for a mysterious customer_

Dante performed a stinger on one of the Beasts; Trish used hand-to-hand combat infused with demonic energy; the stranger kept calm and used a unique martial art technique that relies solely on footwork, mainly Capoeira.

With one hand Dante wielded Rebellion and with the other he fired one of his twin handmade pistols. He switched back-and-forth between one-handed and two-handed swordsmanship, on occasion using Twosome Time.

"Let's pick up the pace: Twister Drive!"

Dante took out both Ebony & Ivory and started shooting wildly while his whole body spins in place. The bullets never hit Trish or the stranger since Dante is able to stop shooting at the right moments due to his inhuman response time, even while spinning at a moderate pace.

Trish on the other hand was enjoying her fights slowly by simply breaking the Beasts' body parts limb-by-limb until they could no longer put up any resistance, and she would end their misery.

"Hey, who's our target, and where the Hell is he?" asked Dante while still busy fending off the hordes that kept pouring into the room.

"You'll find his name and address on the case itself."

"And what the Hell is your name?"

The stranger gave no reply. Instead, he changed his attack pattern, making his way out of the building at the same time.

By the end of the fight, the stranger is nowhere in sight.

"Damn. Didn't even leave a name; for logging purposes, of course." Dante complained. He didn't like working for anonymous customers that would frequently avoid payment. Then again, some have tried; none have lived.

"I think he did." Trish pointed at the weird pattern of rags lying on the floor. Dante thought about it for a moment, and then realized what Trish wanted to point out: the stranger had spelled out his own name using the skins of the Beasts. His name was "Gamaliel".

"Hmph. Showoff. Anyway, what's the location of our target?"

Trish studied the top of the case. "This place is about 40 miles from here. You'll have to get there by train; funny how the information is all written in Hebrew though." She tossed the gold case to Dante. Dante paid little attention to the extra details and headed straight for the door.

"Well in that case, I'll have to move early; don't want anymore demons tearing up my place."

"Dante, wait! You forgot your coat!" Trish took the red trench coat hanging on the rack nearby and threw it towards Dante, who threw the golden case up and slipped right into his trench coat before receiving the falling case.

"See ya later; and no pizza while I'm away!"

* * *

The man with the fedora is an original character. He will be featured more prominently in future chapters, but rest assured he's not a main character.

In case you don't remember: before and during the events of DMC3, Dante hasn't named his shop yet; at the end of DMC3, Dante was inspired by Lady to name his shop "**Devil May Cry**"; at the end of DMC1, Trish instead inspired him to rename his shop to "**Devils Never Cry**"; somehow, it was renamed back to "**Devil May Cry**" by the events of DMC4. Hence, the continuity of retaining the name "**Devil May Cry**" over "**Devils Never Cry**" (_sorry to those who have not played DMC4, or have not watched the bonus ending of DMC4..._)

I decided to stick to naming the fiends "Beast" for now, for the sake of simplicity and as a sign of commonness. Expect more of these in upcoming chapters.

I will separate into chapters "scene transitions" between missions, so a single mission can take up to three chapters or more, depending on how many scenes I feel like directing.

As you can see, this is a major overhaul compared to my as-of-now discontinued work, Devil May Cry: BASTARD. There will be stylistic changes, as well as more intense action as I will no longer be relying on an existing franchise (like the Temen-ni-Gru) for ideas since it greatly restricts my artistic freedom.

Oh, and by the way, don't forget to send in your reviews; they really do help and I really do appreciate them, unless they're merely flaming without any specific reason. If I like/dislike you enough, I might use your name for important characters in future publications.


	3. Mission 1: Part 2

Response is good, and I appreciate what some among you have suggested. I will try to incorporate those elements suggested and look forward to the response.

The main reason why I took so long writing the second part to this Mission is because of my current job: as an info surveyor, I work 8 hours a day, five days a week, and I have little time to add onto my fanfiction due to Facebook (especially Word Challenge) and Mangafox – Battle Royale is so addictive! I will not stand for sloppy half-assed work, so I can guarantee you only the best from me (and if that is not enough for you, you can always suggest through reviews) and I will make sure that there are no errors of any kind to the best of my ability and responsibility as a Beta Reader. I will try to make this at least a bimonthly publication. Anyone wants to volunteer to be my co-writer? A co-writer could help me put my ideas into words faster than usual so the story can be updated more frequently. Also, happy Reformation Day for those of you who celebrate it, and for those who don't, happy Halloween (and a happy birthday to myself)!

Once again:

Devil May Cry® and all related characters are registered trademark and intellectual property of Capcom Co., Ltd. and are in no way affiliated with the author of this fanfiction. All characters and events that appear in this fanfiction are purely fictional and not considered canonical in the Devil May Cry continuity; any resemblance of character(s) or events is purely coincidental and unintentional.

* Note: For all Chinese dialog depicted in this fanfiction, the Cantonese dialect will be used in favor of Mandarin for realistic purposes.

"Chinatown Station" is where the train stopped at. As the train doors slid open, a single passenger casually strolled out of it, while the other passengers, mostly middle-aged Chinese men in uniform business suits, stayed behind in the train, glued to their seats; they fearfully eyed the lone man who walked out of the entrance. Even the people who stood around the outside of the train waiting to get in are stunned by the unexpected sight.

"What, haven't you seen a Devil Hunter before?" Dante mock-scowled, uncomfortable with the unusual amount of attention, especially since most of the attention is not from women.

It was only after Dante was about three feet away from the train doors that the men from inside started to pour out and the men waiting to enter scurry into the train behind Dante's back.

"_Ni go gwai lo jan hai hou dak yan geng_… (This foreign devil is really scary)"; "_Wah, lei yau tai goh gom dai jek geh dou moh_? (Wow, have you ever seen such a big sword?)"; "_Hei hai chi sin lou lei geh_,_ lei ngm sai lei hei gom dor_ (He's nuts, you don't have to pay any attention to him)." These are some of the mutterings that can be heard among the crowd, albeit all nonsensical chatter to Dante's ears.

"Ah…it's been such a long time since I had dim sum; no time for that, I've gotta look for the owner of this heavy package. Now where is…"

In the middle of looking for the designated location, he spotted a young lady screaming "_Gau meng ah_! _Gau meng ah_! (Save me! Save me!)" while being dragged into an alley by three topless men with tattoos all over their chest and arms and back. Dante wanted to rush forward to save the damsel in distress, but someone held his arm back.

"Hey, you have no business with our problems; better for you to stay away." Dante turned around to face the man who spoke in heavily Oriental-accented English. He was a short elderly man who sported large round glasses that were quite thick. "They are triad members, one of them the head. You mess with them you get in big trouble. Best leave the job to the Silver Mask."

Dante pulled his arm out of the man's grasp, "I don't really care who this Silver Mask is, but I've got a job to do." He proceeded to where he last saw the woman being taken into the passageway.

"_Chi sin lou_; _mou dak gau lur_… (Idiot; there's no helping him)" muttered the old man as he saw Dante leaving, with sympathy in his eyes.

As Dante reached the dark lane, he saw several tattooed men, about eight, at the end of the alley surrounding the lady; of the men, there is one who wears a loose black shirt with an imprint of a crouching tiger on the back.

Upon closer inspection, there is someone distinctively standing in front of the lady, appearing to shield her. He is dressed in a priest's cassock, trimmed in silver with scarlet buttons; a black leather belt with silver buckle keeps the waist section of the cassock firmly in place; he wears steel-toed leather boots complimented with black leather gaiters; his hands are covered with a black glove with knuckle accents; in his left hand is a silver rod, and, interestingly, in his right hand is a modified rifle-green Benelli M4 drilling of two matching .22 Hornet rifle barrels at the side and one .410 bore shotgun barrel. His face is obscured by a silver mask largely void of ornate features; his black hair flows out the open back of the mask.

The triad members shivered nervously; the gang leader himself could not resist breaking out a cold sweat. In a swift movement, the masked man thrust his silver rod at one of the gang members at the side, sending him flying straight towards a concrete wall and creating an opening for the lady to hastily make her escape. The gang leader, not wanting to lose face among his followers, shakingly rushed at the intruder; however, the mysterious man remained calm, as if inviting the oncoming attacks.


	4. Mission 1: Part 3

Finally, after a long hiatus following my stint at a _job_ and a manga-translating project (still ongoing), I have _some_ time to continue my unfinished business. I am now strongly determined to finish this (it would take a long time though; possibly all three years of my university life) so rest assured, I will not leave it hanging like the other one which I am dissatisfied with. Reviews, both negative and positive, are most welcome.

Once again:

Devil May Cry® and all related characters are registered trademark and intellectual property of Capcom Co., Ltd. and are in no way affiliated with the author of this fanfiction. All characters and events that appear in this fanfiction are purely fictional and not considered canonical in the Devil May Cry continuity; any resemblance of character(s) or events is purely coincidental and unintentional.

* * *

**Mission 1: Part 3**

The fist made contact with the cold surface of steel. However, the man in the Silver Mask remains unmoved.

"You're done?" a hollow voice asked from behind the mask. With his leg raised, he kicked the gang leader off and rushed to where the leader landed, his left hand ready to bring a blow of judgement down on the first offender with the silver rod. As the rod came crashing down, the leader managed to roll aside, so that the blow narrowly missed.

Just as the rest of the gang members began to flee, the Silver Mask fired rifle shots at them, hitting them in their hamstrings, effectively immobilizing them and making them cry out in pain. As he returned his focus on the leader, he aimed his drilling* at the leader's knees and blew it off with a shotgun blast. What followed is a devastating cry of sheer indescribable agony, one that resounds through the whole of the street.

The aggressor stood upright and was about to walk away, when he suddenly noticed an unfamiliar figure, dressed in a red trench coat with a huge sword on his back, walking slowly towards him.

_Scene Track: Demon Hunter - Our Faces Fall Apart_

"Tsk, tsk. I thought this much violence belongs only in Hollywood?" said Dante, disapprovingly. As he walked past one of the struggling minions, he casually stepped on the minion's fingers, which elicited a whimper which Dante shrugged off.

"Nobody asked you to interfere, stranger." replied the Silver Mask. As he scrutinized Dante, he noticed the golden case held on Dante's hand. "Where did you get that?"

Dante stopped just a few feet away. "None of your violent business. I have a job to do and that is to deliver this thing to a certain address, which I'd like you to tell me where."

"Oh? But I suggest that you just hand it over to me. I'll make sure that it gets delivered to the proper owner." When the leader, who was lying in pain nearby, tried to crawl away, the Silver Mask viciously kicked him in the side, making him hit a wall and slump against it, unconscious.

"Right, and I suppose I might as well throw my job away and my money along with it. No."

Dante's snide attitude angered the Silver Mask. He took aim at Dante's head and said "Now, hand me the case and you'll still keep your head."

Without even flinching, Dante replied, "Make me."

The Silver Mask fired a shot, but Dante merely stepped aside. "I didn't know you were serious!" Shots kept firing, but Dante merely took out his own handguns, Ebony & Ivory, and intercepted the bullets with his own. When the Silver Mask fired a shotgun blast, Dante took the blast with his shoulder.

"Hey, that hurt!"

The Silver Mask had his suspicions, but the fact that Dante wasn't human had established itself when he shrugged off the injury. "Just what the Hell are you..."

Just then, the police force arrived, led by the woman who escaped earlier. Seeing that there is no reason for him to cause further commotion, he calmed down and said to Dante: "It seems to me that our chance meeting has been cut short. Until we meet again..." The Silver Mask turned around and leaped right up onto the rooftops of the surrounding buildings. He was then seen no more.

As the police came, they dragged the immobilized gang members into the police van parked just outside the alley. One of them, a ranking officer, approached Dante and noticed the gang leader lying at the side.

"Damn! Somebody go call an ambulance! We've got another case of overkill."

Dante, annoyed at being ignored, spoke out: "Hey, aren't you going to ask me questions?"

The police officer didn't even look at Dante, but instead took to attending the victims. "No need; we know it is the Silver Mask, as usual."

"Who the Hell is this Silver Mask?"

"Nobody knows, nobody cares, as long as the Triad is suppressed."

"Yeesh, fine! I just need some directions..."

* * *

Dante stepped foot into a quiet and reserved part of Chinatown. The information provided by the police officer led him here.

"This is supposed to be the place, right..."

Almost immediately, a few creatures burst out of the shadows; they are the Beasts, the same creatures that assaulted Dante at his office.

"Yep, this _is_ the place."

* * *

_Battle Music 1: Demon Hunter - Turn Your Back and Run_

Dante took out E&I and started firing at the Beasts, kicking aside the golden case he was carrying along. One of them barely reached Dante when it crumbled and turned into red orbs, while those who survived the bullets were unfortunate enough to meet Rebellion; as soon as they were close enough, Dante swung out his sword in an overhead arc that smashed the skull of the nearest fiend in, and he twisted his body to the right as he avoided a claw from another Beast, countering with increased momentum as he swung Rebellion forward from the right to make contact with the one who tried to get its claw in. Dante swung his sword away once more horizontally, then he charged himself up with a demonic aura for a moment before releasing the pent up energy in a forceful forward thrust at the Beast in front, which created a minor explosion that hurt the surrounding fiends. He then dashed towards one of the few remaining Beasts and grabbed it by its throat, which he then proceeds to skewer repeatedly with inhuman speed.

Three more to go. Dante kept away his sword, and with empty hands he taunted the remaining fiends, goading them into assaulting him; they fell for the taunt, and as they approached Dante merely rolled aside and made a backflip before bringing out his guns once more and started firing at the remaining three, effectively riddling their bodies with bullet holes, and in an instant they crumbled to nothing but tattered skins and red orbs.

_Scene Track: Demon Hunter - Lead Us Home (Intro)  
_

At this moment, just as Dante thought it was all over, a loud roar came from among the shadows which the Beasts had earlier emerged. In the darkness, only its glowing red eyes, huge and grotesque, can be seen; monstrous growls and heavy breathing can be heard, and it appears that the creature is greatly agitated.

"Hey, come on out and play in the sun!" Dante taunted. The creature in the dark, however, seemed to retreat further back, so that its glowing eyes can no longer be seen; however, it lunged out powerfully and caught Dante with its two hideous arms, and also revealing its monstrous appearance.

The unholy abomination that stood leering before Dante was a compound of all that is unclean, uncanny, unwelcome, abnormal, and detestable. It was the ghoulish shade of decay, antiquity, and dissolution; the putrid, dripping eidolon of unwholesome revelation, the awful baring of that which the merciful earth should always hide. It was not of this world – or no longer of this world – and in its eaten-away and bone-revealing outlines a leering, abhorrent travesty on the human shape can be seen. It stands at least three times taller than Dante. The sight was so disturbing to Dante that he felt nauseated, yet could not help but notice the increasing pressure being put on his body by the creature's burly appendages that wrapped around his frame.

The tormenting hold was forcing Dante's Devil Trigger to manifest itself in bursts of pain, which seemed to excite the creature more and more, when suddenly something that resembled an anchor was thrust out of the shadows and pierced through the monster's chest; as the monster cried out, it released Dante from its grip, who landed on his two feet and immediately whipped out his guns once more, but the hideous creature was being pulled back into the darkness unwillingly. Dante tried to chase after it, but noticed that the golden case is behind him, so he got to it instead while the Great Fiend had already been completely enveloped by the darkness, and was seen no more.

"I'm not finished with you yet!" Dante attempted to follow it, but as he neared the shadows, an unseen barrier blocked his way. "Huh?" He jumped up and concentrated all his strength in Rebellion, and brought it crushing downwards; yet the barrier is much stronger, and repelled his attack. "Damn it! That one got away! And this is no thanks to you!" Dante pointed at the golden case.

Remembering his main mission, Dante went over to it and picked it up. He checked the address again and made sure he was on the right way. As he read the building number, he finally located the destination of his delivery: an inconspicuous church surrounded by taller buildings. It wasn't heavily adorned like the Gothic cathedrals; instead, its most intriguing feature is simply the mysterious Steel Blue light emanating from within its confines, seen through the open windows.

Dante walked towards the church doors, which were made of Blackwood and decorated with light traces of bronze, but felt something weakening inside of him. As he pushed open the heavy doors of the church, he saw a large blue crystal, of which the light that radiates from it is the same light that can be seen outside, and is transfixed by it.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" said a voice, which came from a corner inside the church. Dante turned his attention to the source of the sound, and found a man, probably in his seventies, wearing a white simar** piped in black with a fringed grey fascia***. He was a small, lean, bent person, with blue eyes, and nearly bald head. His oriental features make it seem that he is a local of this part of the city.

"What you see there is a legend," explained the church elder, "as it is said that the Legendary Dark Knight took this artefact from the bowels of Hell and brought it here as a ward against demons. It is because of this crystal that this church is made a safe sanctuary for the people." The man slowly made his way towards Dante, and he greeted Dante with a warm smile. "What can I do for you, my child?" When he saw the golden case, however, his smile disappeared; in its place was a countenance of sternness and deep concentration. "It seems that you are here to deliver something of great importance. Come with me."

The usually wordy Dante simply followed the man without any talk; he felt that something just isn't right in him. "Perhaps it is the crystal..." thought Dante to himself as he took one more glimpse of it before entering into a chamber with the church elder.

Inside the chamber, the old man approached a table full of manuscripts and swept all of its contents on the floor. "Put it here please." Dante took the golden case and placed it on the table. The man stared intently at it, seeking its contents with utmost desire but not without a sense of reverence and fear.

"Okay, my job's done. I'll take my leave _after_ I receive my payment." said Dante wearily. Somehow he felt that his power is being drained off by the crystal and its light.

"Oh, don't you want to know what is it you've been carrying all this while?" asked the man.

"That's not my concern. I just want to return back to my office right after I get paid." answered Dante.

The church elder considered, and then he went to a corner of the chamber and opened a drawer; inside the drawer are bags the size of a man's head, and he took out one of them. "This should be enough then." he said, and threw it at Dante, who caught it.

Dante opened the top of the bag and found gold coins to be in it. He felt its weight, and decided that it was more than the agreed payment, so he turned around and said to the elder: "Yeah, it's definitely enough. I'll be off then." And with that, he left, while the old man observed.

The old man returned his attention to the golden case before him, which was yet unopened. He closed his eyes in deep thought for a moment, and then he breathed a sigh and took hold of the latches locking it. He unhinged the latches, and lifted the top of the case slowly, but surely. As the content of the case unravelled itself to him, his eyes widened, and it was difficult to tell whether it was out of admiration or fear. In the case was a single beating heart; it wasn't human, of course, especially since it is much bigger, and it is of a strange indescribable colour and of an alien hue.

In a dark, shadowy corner, the silhouette of a man in a cassock is revealed to be observing everything in the unseen state of obscurity.

**Mission 1 End**

* * *

* a drilling is a combination gun that has three barrels, which may be any mixture of rifle and shotgun barrels. In this case, however, there are two rifle barrels and one shotgun barrel, as explained in the previous chapter.

** a simar is a Roman Catholic garment similar in design to a plain cassock, but with a shoulder cape. It is worn by bishops, not ordinary clerics, and is considered a garment of jurisdiction.

*** a fascia is a sash worn by clerics and seminarians with the cassock in the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Church.

P.S. You'll notice the drastic evolution of my writing style when you compare it with my previous chapter. I guess studying literature does have its benefits too.


	5. Mission 2: Part 1

I hope that the previous chapter is intriguing enough to whet your appetite for more.

Now that all of my university assignments are done (my finals are left, which starts in two days' time!) I have more time on my hands to continue with this story (though I estimate it would still take all three years of my university life to conclude it) and less restrictions on self-imposed deadlines (not that I followed them anyway). At the same time, my original fiction has been left for dead (no, not L4D)...

Additional info:

For the first part of this chapter, assume that the characters are all speaking in Cantonese (too lazy to transcribe actual Cantonese);

Some of the moves that Dante will be using will be put in square brackets ([]) to identify them as special moves; this (hopefully) would give it more of an in-game feel to the story. Applies only to new moves; not applicable to Stinger, High Time, Helm Breaker, etc. as they should be familiar enough to everyone by now. Additionally, some moves are powered up to reflect Dante's character growth since the last game.

Anyway, the usual:

The author of this fanfiction does not, in any way, profit from the story. Devil May Cry® and all related characters are registered trademark and intellectual property of Capcom Co., Ltd. and are in no way affiliated with the author of this fanfiction. All characters and events that appear in this fanfiction are purely fictional and not considered canonical in the Devil May Cry continuity; any resemblance of character(s) or events is purely coincidental and unintentional.

Additionally, I do not own Demon Hunter nor their music, but check them out anyway!

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* * *

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_In a dark room with only a table, the only light coming from a lit oil lamp in the middle of a table, a group of unknown people were seated, their faces obscured by the shadows..._

"The Silver Mask did it again," spoke one of the figures, "he took out a group of Blue Lanterns."

"Well, it can't be helped," said another, in an unconcerned voice, "they were just looking for trouble, especially when they're not even _in_ the organization yet."

Suddenly, a hand was slammed against the table. "Even if they are Blue Lanterns they should be looked after!" shouted yet a different voice, "If we can't even handle something as simple as that, we shouldn't even form this organization!"

"Humph, you are one to speak," spoke a fourth, sarcastic voice, "especially since all you know is fighting."

"Shut up! All you do is to only perform ceremonies, how dare you talk to me as if you know what I do!" retorted the third.

At this moment, a chair can be heard dragging away from the table; the fourth person stood up.

"Fool, know your place!" said the fifth voice; the only female voice so far. "Respect your elder!" The sound of a slap was then heard.

"Enough of this!" said a sixth voice, "as the Deputy I command all of you to silence yourselves. We are not familiar with this Silver Mask, and he is a possible threat to our organization; I want everyone to find out who this Silver Mask is and either get him to join in our ranks or eliminate him! Now then, we shall await further instructions from the Dragon Head."

Everyone at the table turned their attention towards the figure seated at the head of the table. The person kept quiet, yet through the darkness, his small eyes glowed a burning crimson. He moved a pale, cold hand towards the oil lamp, and grasped the flames to extinguish it, symbolizing _something_.

* * *

As Dante stepped outside of the church, he felt his strength gradually returning to him. _That's better_, Dante thought to himself. Still, he felt uneasy about the curious artifact in the church, because of its _otherworldliness_. He tried to ignore it, but he could not.

After walking a distance away from the church, the Beasts appeared out of the surrounding shadows. Surrounded, Dante was relieved that something finally came up to distract him, albeit temporarily. "You're just in time!"

* * *

_Battle Music 1: Demon Hunter __–__ Turn Your Back and Run_

The fiends mindlessly rushed towards Dante as a group, hoping to overwhelm him, but Dante simply leaped above them and brought down Rebellion in a heavy downward slash, neatly slicing one of the demons in half. He chained this with a forward stomp against a nearby fiend; after kicking it down he stabbed his sword right into the demon's skull. As more demons began to come towards him from the back, Dante spun round and dashed towards a group of Beasts, slashing horizontally to sever them. He immediately shifted to slashing Rebellion upwards, sending two of the Beasts up into the air and rising along with them; while still in mid-air, Dante executes a combo of sword slashes, at a speed which the human eye cannot trace.

The two hapless creatures dissipated, yet more Beasts are pouring out of shadowy portals all around. Dante whipped out Ebony & Ivory and began firing at the creatures, keeping himself in the air for as long as possible. When he finally touched the ground, however, he kept his guns and took out Rebellion once more, but this time he entered into a stance where his sword began to glow with demonic energy; once it glowed to his satisfaction, Dante let rip the power stored within the blade, which traversed across the earthy ground and cut across a few Beasts before ending in a geyser of power.

Some of the portals began to close, but a few remain open, and the flow of Beasts that continue to pour out of them hasn't stemmed. Yet in one moment, there were no Beasts, even though the portals remain opened; however, shrill cries can be heard from within them, and they grow closer and closer.

Then, a bird-like creature began to emerge from within the portal, struggling from an invisible gravity which threatens to suck them back in; at first, what can be seen is only its hideous face – reptilian, scaly, and covered by a growth of thorns, with a lower jaw split into two halves filled with jagged teeth; its eyes were beady and evilly black. After a brief struggle, the creature managed to drag itself out of the portal with its wing-like appendages; they are only described as wing-like because they resemble wings, but underneath the large black feathers that cover them are huge, menacing claws which extend to about an arm's length. Similar feathers are strewn across the entire length of the creature's body, which is slender and elongated. It lacks legs, but makes it up with its powerful serrated tail. Its full length is more than that of Dante's height.

* * *

_Śyena appearance – Aerial Assault!_

"Oh? What have we here? More party animals?" mocked Dante.

The bird-creature did not pay attention, but it simply looked around, and let out a screech that threatens to make Dante's eardrums explode. Dante couldn't resist but clasp his ears. After that shriek of terror, more of the Śyena begin to appear from the few remaining portals, each bearing the same gruesome features.

"So, you've brought your friends along. Well, the more the merrier, as they say!"

Dante made quick work of the few remaining Beasts with Ebony & Ivory, then shifted his focus on one of the Śyena; he pumped lead into it, yet this only irritated the bird-creature, and it swooped down on Dante and attempted an uppercut with its wing-claws. Dante managed to sway back, barely, and avoid the attack.

"Whoa, that's a little too close, pal! If you wanna get up close and personal, then it's time for me to introduce you to a little Rebellion."

Dante took out his sword and ran towards the avian monster, and as he swung it downwards, it collided with the creature's claws; however, they are both repelled, being of the same toughness. So Dante jumped up onto the bird, getting a [Free Ride]; he steered it by pulling on any one of its wings. With Rebellion in his right hand he stabbed it deep into one of the wings of another Śyena, disabling its wing and causing it to lose flight; when another flew over him, he gracefully swung his sword overhead in a backwards arc, slicing one of that creature's wings, and he slashed at the other wing as he brought Rebellion down in a returning arc. He then stabbed his sword into the wing of one on which he flew, and it collapsed onto the ground below, but not before he jumped off it onto another.

_Three down, three to go_.

Dante forced the bird he was on to dive straight at another by closing both its eyes and forcing its head in the direction he desired; on the way, he held Rebellion out horizontally, severing one of the other Śyena in half, right through its abdomen – upon death, it turned into smoldering ash. Just before the two Śyena collide, Dante jumped off and, from a high altitude, he held Rebellion with both hands, over his head; at the pinnacle of his gathered strength, he unleashed a powerful downwards force that crushed the skulls – nay, _decimated_ the entire bodies – of both the fiends, splitting the earth below as he touched the ground.

* * *

_Silver Mask appearance – battle of PRIDE  
_

As he stood up, he is faced by the Śyena he had earlier grounded. Though they no longer possess flight, their agility on the ground makes them equally threatening; similarly, their ability to jump to great heights is outstanding, as one did attempt while holding out one of its claws, trying to stab Dante. Dante was pierced through the chest and pinned to the ground, and the creature thought it had won; however, it was soon proven wrong. Much to its surprise, Dante barely felt the effects, but is now grabbing its arm and "returning the favour" by stabbing it right back with Rebellion. After it dissipated in death, Dante stood up and shrugged off the wound made earlier on his chest, which became as nothing. He faced the remaining two which became afraid and slowly backed away. As they made an abrupt turn and began to flee, however, one of them was killed off by a shotgun blast to the head; when the other stopped to note the demise of its comrade, it, too, was eliminated in the same fashion.

Dante turned towards the source of the blasts, as he revealed himself by casually stepping out of the shadows of a nearby building. Dante walked to the familiar figure.

The Silver Mask broke the silence: "You seem to make very interesting enemies, _foreign devil_."

"What are you doing here?" inquired Dante lazily. "Quite frankly, I'm not interested with your over-the-top violence."

"Oh, and you are not yourself very violent, hm? How ironic, a demon telling me that I'm too bloodthirsty."

"You're being violent towards other human beings like yourself, while I deal with demons, whose sole purpose of their existence is to cause destruction!"

"And you believe I'm not dealing with similar monsters?"

Dante paused for a moment; he remembered that humans are also capable of causing great sorrow and suffering for others; an image which surfaced in his mind was that of Arkham, the human that desired to acquire demonic powers – and actually did, for a moment – while not hesitating to sacrifice his own daughter even. Yet Dante looked at the Silver Mask straight in the eye, and replied: "Humans have the ability to repent, which demons lack. If you let a demon go free, it would only live to cause further turmoil; but when you give humans a second chance, they can choose to repent."

The Silver Mask, sick of hearing Dante's defense of humans, reloaded his drilling and replied, coldly, "Nobody deserves a second chance. They should just die."

"I'm sorry that you should feel that way," said Dante sarcastically. "Oh, by the way, I still don't know your name yet."

In a sudden movement, the Silver Mask took hold of his silver rod, aimed it at Dante's abdomen, and made a deep impact which sent Dante flying to a nearby wall.

Thinking fast, Dante held his hands and his feet behind his back so that they, rather than his back, intercepted the wall. As Dante stood once again on solid ground, he called out against the Silver Mask: "What was that for?"

"Have you forgotten about our little encounter earlier? I'll tell you my name – only if you are able to defeat me."

"Well, if you want it that way, start talking!"

* * *

Well, just a teaser for what is to come; Mission 2 will be completed by the next chapter, which is the first of many "Boss Battles", so look forward to it!


End file.
